Should you plant from seed or seedling?

With autumn just around the corner and it being the best time for abundant gardening opportunities, you may find yourself wondering whether it’s best to plant your new crops from seed or to get a head start with seedlings. Seeds do present some challenges, but it’s a very rewarding process.

On the other hand, seedlings are far more convenient and a much quicker process. It really comes down to experience and personal preference, but here are some pros and cons for both:

SEED

Plants that are grown from seed usually make for much stronger, more resilient adult plants

Seeds are notoriously difficult to grow, as some seeds never germinate so it’s very much a waiting game.

Sowing seeds indoors makes this process easier as you can control their environment

Sowing seeds indoors and then transplanting them outdoors when they’ve grown into seedlings can give your plants a head start on the growing season

It’s best to use seed trays to control spacing and watering. This also makes it easier to transplant them once they’re seedlings

Caring for and nurturing seeds is a very rewarding process and one that is very educational for kids so get them involved!

SEEDLING

This is a much faster and far more convenient way to plant as you can place them directly in your garden

Since your plants are already sprouting quite sufficiently, you can already tell which ones are healthy and which ones aren’t

Seedlings are strong and can be replanted with ease

Most seedlings, when they’re ready to be potted or planted into the ground, will need to be ‘hardened off’ to get them used to direct sunlight and the elements

Hardening off seedlings requires exposing the seedlings to limited sunlight, and then gradually increasing the time over a few days